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Hackers have threatened to expose the data of 129 million Russian car drivers on the darknet for Bitcoin according to Russian news agency RBC.
As reported, the anonymous hackers stole the data of millions of Russian car owners from the registry of Russia’s patrol jurisdiction, the General Administration for Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The information taken includes the names, passport details, and addresses as well as other data. The report confirms that the hack has been confirmed by an employee of the car-sharing company.
According to RBC, the information is for sale on the darknet for cryptocurrency The report states:
“The full version of the database costs 0.3 BTC, which at the current rate is about $2850. For 1.5 BTC or $ 14,250, you can purchase information for “exclusive use.””
Cryptocurrency’s relationship on the darknet
News of cryptocurrency being used to hide illegal transactions and as a currency allowing cyber-crime is not new. In March, a similar hack took place in Russia. Cyber-criminals hacked into the Trident Crypto Fund international cryptocurrency fund and stole ten thousand records’ worth of information about belonging to Russians. According to a report from Russian news outlet IZ, the information contains email addresses, passwords in encrypted form, user names and full names, mobile phone numbers, country of residence and IP addresses.
Technical director of cybersecurity firm DeviceLock Ashot Oganesyan commented on the incident, saying:
“Apparently, Russian citizens might already have got their data leaked before. However, no one has taken them into account before, and personal data leakage of 10,000 Trident Crypto Fund users can be considered the first major personal data leak of Russian crypto investors.”
Safety precautions on the internet
It’s important to note that major hacks such as these make it difficult to avoid falling prey to cybercrime. However, it’s crucial to practice safety precautions online especially when dealing with cryptocurrency which is untraceable in a way that fiat currency is not. Avoid suspicious activity, do your own research, and ensure your cryptocurrency is stored as securely as possible.
Read more: How to protect your Bitcoin in safe wallets and secure storage